title: Unexpected direct iron-fluorine bonds in trifluorophosphane iron complexes: an alternative to bridging trifluorophosphane and difluorophosphido groups.
abstract: The iron trifluorophosphane complexes [Fe(PF(3))(n)] (n=4, 5), [Fe(2)(PF(3))(n)] (n=8, 9), [H(2)Fe(PF(3))(4)], and [Fe(2)(PF(2))(2)(PF(3))(6)] have been studied by density functional theory. The lowest energy structures of [Fe(PF(3))(4)] and [Fe(PF(3))(5)] are a triplet tetrahedron and a singlet trigonal bipyramid, respectively. Both cis and trans octahedral structures were found for [H(2)Fe(PF(3))(4)] with the cis isomer lying lower in energy by approximately 10 kcal mol(-1). The lowest energy structure for [Fe(2)(PF(3))(8)] has two [Fe(PF(3))(4)] units linked only by an iron-iron bond of length 2.505 A consistent with the formal Fe=Fe double bond required to give both iron atoms the favored 18-electron configuration. In the lowest energy structure for [Fe(2)(PF(3))(9)] one of the iron atoms has inserted into a P-F bond of one of the PF(3) ligands to give a structure [(F(3)P)(4)Fe<--PF(2)Fe(F)(PF(3))(4)] with a bridging PF(2) group and a direct Fe-F bond. A bridging PF(3) group is found in a considerably higher energy [Fe(2)(PF(3))(9)] structure at approximately 30 kcal mol(-1) above the global minimum. However, this bridging PF(3) group keeps the two iron atoms too far apart (approximately 4 A) for the direct iron-iron bond required to give the iron atoms the favored 18-electron configuration. The preferred structure for [Fe(2)(PF(2))(2)(PF(3))(6)] has a bridging PF(2) group, as expected. However, this bridging PF(2) group bonds to one of the iron atoms through an P-Fe covalent bond and to the other iron through an F-->Fe dative bond, leaving an uncomplexed phosphorus lone pair.
authors.affiliation: Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 51063, PR China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Qian-shu
authors.initials: QS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yaoming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: R Bruce
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Henry F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Schaefer